


Either way we lose (just like lovers do)

by Skathii



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Catra controls She-ra, F/F, Feelings, I had this idea while rewatching season 1, Jealous Catra, Virus!She-ra, angsty catra, catradora, i just have lots of feels, man it would be bad times if the horde figured out how to control she-ra, science entrapta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-18 15:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18702760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skathii/pseuds/Skathii
Summary: She-ra didn’t react, didn’t move or flinch when Catra’s hand darted forward to grasp her jaw between her slender fingers. Catra tilted She-ra’s head to one side and then the other.In the low light, She-ra’s eyes glowed red like freshly spilt blood. Catra let her hands travel down, fluttering from the warrior’s neck, then her collar bone, the length of her arms. She paused over the tangling red veins pulsating up She-ra’s arm.This person in front of her looked so much like the She-ra she knew, but not in all the most important ways.---The Horde figures out how to exploit the weakness in She-ra's defenses. Catra explores her new found power over her former friend.





	Either way we lose (just like lovers do)

**Author's Note:**

> I just started rewatching season 1 and had this idea while watching the episode where Entrapta is first introduced. I wonder if this story line might actually happen in the show?  
> I haven't finished season 2 yet so... please no spoilers!  
> Also I kept spelling Entrapta's name as "Entrapada" and I'm not sure why?  
> Anyways, enjoy the feels!

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Catra prowled out from the shadows of the room, stopping not more than a hand’s width away from the She-ra’s lithe body. “I almost didn’t believe Entrapta when she told me it worked.”

She-ra didn’t react, didn’t move or flinch when Catra’s hand darted forward to grasp her jaw between her slender fingers. Catra tilted She-ra’s head to one side and then the other.

In the low light, She-ra’s eyes glowed red like freshly spilt blood. Catra let her hands travel down, fluttering from the warrior’s neck, then her collar bone, the length of her arms. She paused over the tangling red veins pulsating up She-ra’s arm.

This person in front of her looked so much like the She-ra she knew, but not in all the most important ways.

“Swear your allegiance to the Horde,” Catra ordered.

“I swear it,” She-ra answered without hesitation. Her voice sounded different, lower and more brusk, lacking any hint of insecurity.

“Swear your allegiance to me.” 

“I swear it.” She repeated, with the exact same inflection, like a robot. 

“Say you’ll do anything I ask of you.” Catra’s tail wrapped around around the taller woman’s waist, drawing their bodies together. She grabbed the back of She-ra’s neck and forced her to look down, to look Catra in the eyes as she spoke.

“Whatever you want, I will do.” A purr escaped Catra. 

Footsteps in the hallway outside the room made her jump. She pushed She-ra away.

“Bow to me.” 

“Yes.” Immediately She-ra fell to her knees.

“And,” Catra really shouldn’t take it too far, but she could not help herself. She always was pushing boundaries. “Call me master.”

“Yes, master.”

The doors swooshed open moments later. Beyond stood Entrapta and Scorpia. They were never too far behind.

“Whoa, so it’s true?” Scorpia’s eyes widened to a comical size. 

“Of course it’s true! I’m the one who made the program!” Entrapta rushed into the room straight for She-ra. “But, I have yet to see my work up close!”

Even kneeling, She-re was a giant. Entrapta had to balance on her hair to gain a better vantage point. 

“But how is this possible?” Scorpia asked with awe.

“It was fairly simple. When I told Catra about the virus’s affect on She-ra back in my castle and how it took control of her, she asked if we could take advantage of the weakness in She-ra’s system. With all the first one’s tech we acquired recently, it was easy to hack the code and rewrite it to our advantage. From there it was simple to infect She-ra with it, with how reckless she is in battle.” 

“Yeah, I have no clue what you just said,” Scorpia said with her typical, easy-going laugh.

“What she said is now I have control of She-ra. And that’s all that matters.” With a smirk, Catra crossed her arms, affecting an air of cool indifference. She was not comfortable showing just how this new development made her feel. 

Entrapta reached out and touched She-ra’s golden crown. She drew her hand back as soon as she made contact. It seemed Entrapta was not as confident in her programming as she claimed.

“Fascinating.” Entrapta lowered herself back onto her feet, seeming to decide it was more important for her hair to hold her tape recorder than it was to see the top of She-ra’s head. She excitedly recorded notes about the progress of the experiment while she poked and prodded She-ra.

And then she started to lift She-ra’s skirt to examine underneath.

Heat engulfed Catra’s chest.

“That’s enough,” Catra shoved Entrapta away. Entrapta looked back at her with confused eyes.

“Everything okay, Catra?” Scorpia questioned, concern thick in her voice.

“Everything is just fine,” Catra replied, the words sounding more like a territorial hiss than she intended. She needed to calm down. Entrapta didn’t mean anything by it, and yet.

Yet, she didn’t care.

“Leave us,” Catra commanded.

“But my experiment--”

“I said leave!” 

Hurt etched into the features of Scorpia’s face. She grabbed Entrapta by the elbow, guiding her to the still open door. 

“And close the door on your way out,” said Catra. Scorpia casted one last look over her shoulder. With a simple push of a button, Catra and She-ra were alone.

“She-ra.” Catra rolled the syllables on her tongue.

“Yes, master?” came the quick response.

“You will tell me all the secrets of Bright Moon.”

“Of course. Bright Moon has a weak point on the north--”

“Not now,” Catra interrupted. “Later. Right now I need something else from you.”

“Anything.”

Catra placed a single finger under her chin, lifting her head up until Catra could once more see the rubies that were her eyes.

“Promise me that you’ll never leave me again, Adora.”

This time, there was no response.

“Promise me!” Catra commanded, with anger.

“I do not know who Adora is,” her mechanical voice responded.  
Catra could feel her own chest move up and down with each heavy breath she took, as if it were the body of a stranger and not her own. Her teeth grinded together as she thought about what to say next.

“Then just promise me you will not leave me.” 

“Never.” 

“Good.” Catra brushed her lips against She-ra’s. From beneath her, She-ra did not move to return the gesture. A small pang stabbed Catra’s heart. She forced the emotion down, down deep where she did want to ever feel it again.

“Rise.” She-ra jumped to her feet without a word. “Now, detransform.” 

Light filled every corner of the room, forcing Catra to momentarily look away. When it died out, there was only Adora. She-ra was gone.

Adora’s knees collapsed below her.

Before she could fall to the ground, Catra caught her. 

She yearned to see Adora’s clear blue eyes, longed to feel the weight of Adora’s stare on her. But she could not, because those eyes were closed.

As they were likely to be forever.

Catra adjusted her grip on Adora, one hand sliding under Adora’s knees and the other on Adora’s back.

Still the blonde slumbered without a stir.

Catra pulled the girl close.

Entrapta had warned her that Adora could not function while She-ra was under their control. Evidently, last time Adora had acted in highly erratic ways. It was unlikely that Adora’s mind would not degrade in permanent ways this time.

So, Entrapta gave Catra the choice to lose Adora, or to freeze Adora in a painless sleep.

Forever.

It wasn’t really a choice at all.

Catra lifted Adora. They would go to Catra’s new room, where Adora could rest until the Horde needed She-ra again. 

And if Catra were to lay by her side, put her arms around Adora and imagine a different life for them, a life where they were together and happy and normal, where Adora was merely asleep and not out of Catra’s reach forever.

Well then, no one else needed to know.


End file.
